Take a dash of Sonic, add a hint of Crash, then throw in some Mario for good measure, and blend it all together; what do you get? Probably a great, big, bloody mess, and a ruined kitchen appliance.

But if we were to take things a little less literally, then I'd probably say that is also the easiest way to describe Panic 64, the newly announced game from Spicy Gyro (not the "bloody mess" part, but the blender analogy that I now realise has been more trouble than it's worth).

Announced over the weekend, Panic 64 is a follow-up to 2022's sidescrolling 2D platformer Panic the Porcupine, and mixes elements of all three mascot platformers' back catalogue into a single game, taking the indie hero into 3D.

Humorously pitched as a next-gen platformer "straight out of '98," the game features plenty of allusions to 3D platformers of years gone by, calling to mind titles like Sonic R, Crash Bandicoot, and Super Mario 64, in its anarchic minute-long trailer. It even includes a particularly funny nod to the start of both Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, with Panic being chased by a truck (a reference to Sonic Adventure 2) that leaps out of the water in pursuit (similar to the Orca in the original Sonic Adventure).

Here's an official description of the game in question:

Dr. Proventriculus has returned with a fiendish plan for the chickabirbs, and it's up to Panic to conquer new depths, new heights, and new fully polygonal hazards in this high speed platformer!

Features:

-8 linear stages with two missions each
-4 boss battles!
-Grading and scoring system. Great for speed runners and completionists alike.
-Crack open CRTs for new powerups like the egg magnet and boost soda.
-Use Panic's new Quill Qrush for tight platforming, and his drift ability for boosting out of tight corners!
-No you don't need glasses, those are blurry low-res textures!

The game is scheduled to arrive in 2027, but a Steam page is available now if you want to wishlist it in advance.

[source store.steampowered.com]